Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon vs Dell XPS 13: Which flagship wins?

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight for the laptop world is ready, and I promise you it won't be a disappointment. We recently published our reviews for the

ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen)

and

XPS 13 (2020)

, two of

best laptops

on the market. The two laptops trade blow for blow in most areas, with sleek designs, speedy performance, excellent display options and long battery life. But there are some important differences between the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the XPS 13 that should be considered in your purchase decision.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is first and foremost a

business laptop

p>

. As such, it has additional features that you won't find on the XPS 13. On the other hand, without these features, the XPS 13 can focus on portability. It also has some advantages over the ThinkPad X1 Carbon in terms of battery life and performance thanks to the specific chips it uses.

Best Business Laptops

in 2020

Which ThinkPad is right for you?

XPS 13 versus XPS 15 versus XPS 17

: Which Dell XPS Is Right For You?

You can't go wrong with either laptop, but if you have to choose between these two title champions, then read on to find out which one to choose.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon vs. Dell XPS 13: Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Dell XPS 13

Price

$1745

$1749

Display

14inch, 1080p

13.4inch, 1080p

CPU

Intel Core i5-10310U

Intel Core i7-1065G7

GPUs

Intel UHD

Intel Iris Plus

RAM

8 GB

16GB

Storage

256GB NVMe SSD

NVMe 512GB m.2 SSD

Ports

Two Thunderbolt 3, two USB 3.1 Type-A, HDMI 1.4, network extender, lock slot, headset

Two Thunderbolt 3, microSD, headphones

Battery

10:45

12:39

Dimensions

12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches

11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches

Weight

2.4 pounds

2.8 pounds

Value and configurations

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an expensive laptop, even when not configured with the expensive vPro processors. The base model starts at $1553 and comes with a 1080p display, an Intel Core i5-10210U processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Our cheaper test unit has a 1080p display, an Intel Core i5-10310U (vPro) processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a few optional upgrades (IR camera, Windows 10 Pro) cost $1745.

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The $1,149 Dell XPS 13 base model features an Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, Intel UHD graphics, and a 1920 x 1200 non-touch display .

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We reviewed the $1,749 model, which features an Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD, Intel Iris Plus graphics, and a 1920 x 1200 touchscreen.

The laptop can also be configured with a 1TB SSD ($150), 2TB SSD ($350), and a 3840 x 2400 touchscreen ($300). A rigged XPS 13 costs $2,309 and gets you the Core i7 processor, a 2TB SSD, Windows 10 Pro, and a UHD display.

Winner:

XPS-13

Design

Picking a winner in this round is futile. Not just because aesthetics are subjective, but because the XPS 13 and ThinkPad X1 Carbon are modern laptops with common design cues. And they're both portable, but for different reasons.

(Image credit: Future)

The XPS 13, with its now fully frameless design, is incredibly compact with an 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6-inch footprint. The X1 Carbon also has relatively thin bezels but only on three sides. As such, it measures 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches. What makes the X1 Carbon arguably more comfortable to carry are its lightweight materials. Weighing 2.4 pounds, the 14-inch X1 Carbon weighs less than the 13-inch XPS 13 (2.8 pounds).

These are two attractive laptops whose signature designs contrast in many ways. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has an understated design with stealthy matte black finishes and an optional carbon fiber weave pattern on the lid. Red accents on the pointing device and left and right click buttons add a pop of color to ink surfaces.

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The XPS 13 is the more glamorous of the two notebooks, especially the white version, which flaunts a Frost White lid and carbon fiber woven Alpine White deck. The aluminum lid gives the XPS a premium look and feel while the polished edges provide some visual sparkle.

Dell Laptops Vs Lenovo Laptops http://t.co/cIhtUL0g

— Luella Herzberg Tue Feb 14 14:33:03 +0000 2012

While both of these laptops have excellent build quality, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon gets points for being tested at 12< /p>

military-grade durability testing

, meaning it can survive harsh environments. Both the XPS 13 and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon have a

fingerprint sensor

and an infrared camera

Windows Hello

connection.< /p>

Winner:

draw lots

Ports

We go from nail to shatter; the X1 Carbon has a better selection of

ports

of these laptops, and it's not even close.

(Image credit: Future)

Thunderbolt 3

ports, a microSD card slot and a headphone jack, the X1 Carbon offers a buffet of starters.

USB 3.1 Type-A port

and one

lock slot

. On the left side, you'll find two Thunderbolt 3 inputs, an Ethernet expansion port, HDMI 1.4, a headphone jack, and a second USB 3.1 port.

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

It would have been a big blow if Lenovo hadn't removed the SD card slot from the X1 Carbon last year. Photographers and videographers now have to use a USB to SD card dongle to upload images.

Winner:

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

display

You can't go wrong choosing from the different

display options

XPS 13 or ThinkPad X1 Carbon. We reviewed the 1080p XPS 13 and 1080p and 4K versions of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. On these screens, we saw crisp detail, vivid colors and impressive brightness.

(Image credit: Future)

We didn't test the 4K display on the XPS 13, so I can't comment on how it compares to others. Of those we tested, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's 4K display offered the best viewing experience. Next came the XPS 13 with a 1080p display, which was brighter and a bit more colorful than the low-end X1 Carbon's matte 1080p display.

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

sRGB color gamut

. Our XPS 13's 1080p panel falls in the middle of these results, with 115% coverage.

We obtained similar results in our

brightness test

. The 1080p X1 Carbon hit 364 nits of brightness while the XPS 13 hit 417 nits. The X1 Carbon's 4K panel outperformed both laptops, at 498 nits. Since we can't compare 4K to 4K, we'll give Dell the win in this round for having the better 1080p option.

Winner:

XPS 13 p>

Keyboard and touchpad

The XPS 13 has a decent keyboard, but it doesn't compare to the class-leading ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The Carbon's backlit keys offer deeper travel than the XPS 13's, and they deliver a truly satisfying tactile click. There's a meaty edge missing from the XPS 13's keys. On a positive note for Dell fans, the XPS 13 has 9% larger keys that are well spaced out and comfortable to grip.

(Image credit: Future)

At 4.4x 2.6 inches, the XPS 13's touchpad is actually quite a bit larger than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's (3.9 x 2.2 inches). Both glazed surfaces are responsive and had no issues running

Windows 10 gestures

.

A bonus for some people is the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's centered TrackPoint pointing stick. An alternative to the touchpad, the small rubber button lets you control your cursor without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Winner:

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Performance

If we consider the price, the XPS 13 with a

Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor

and 16 GB of

RAM

is a direct competitor to the X1 Carbon with an Intel Core i5-10310U

vPro

with 8GB of RAM, not the even more expensive Core i7 vPro, 16GB RAM model that we also tested. I'll include scores from all three laptops, but keep that in mind as you go through this section.

On the Geekbench 5 test

overall performance

, the XPS 13 scored 4,648 while the X1 Carbon with a Core i5-10310U only scored 3,597 and the Core i7-10610U landed at 3,935. The category average is 4,026.

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

These scores translated directly into our Handbrake video editing test, in which the XPS 13 (Core i7) needed just 15 minutes and 10 seconds to convert 4K video to 1080p. It smoked both the Core i5 ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7:51 p.m.) and the Core i7 (6:29 p.m.), which was nearly in line with the premium laptop average (6:25 p.m.).

The X1 Carbon gained ground on our hard drive test. the

256 GB PCIe SSD

in our cheaper model duplicated 5 GB of media files in 6 seconds for a transfer rate of 783 megabytes per second, and the 512 GB SSD configuration did it in 5 seconds for a transfer rate of 997.9 MBps. It took 8.3 seconds for the XPS 13 to complete the task, resulting in a rate of 613.1 Mbps.

(Image credit: Future)

But the pendulum swings back in Dell's favor when looking at graphics performance. The X1 Carbon has Comet Lake chips, so it relies on integrated graphics

Intel UHD

, which are weaker than the XPS 13's Iris Plus graphics

Ice Lake CPU

s.

This became apparent when we tried playing Dirt 3 on these ultrathin laptops. We had no issues drifting through tight corners at 59 fps on the XPS 13. In comparison, the Core i5 and Core i7 ThinkPad X1 Carbon ran the racing game at just 30 fps and 33 fps, respectively.

Winner:

XPS-13

Battery life

The XPS 13 lasts longer on a charge than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the difference is quite significant. The Dell lasted 12 hours and 39 minutes on our

battery test

, which involves continuous web browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits.

With a respectable 10 hours and 45 minutes of battery life, the 1080p X1 Carbon will die out a few hours before the XPS 13. The 4K version lasts 7 hours and 23 minutes, which is decent considering the UHD panel.

Winner:

Dell XPS 13

Overall winner: Dell XPS 13

Dell wins this championship match in a photo-finish. Ultimately, the difference came down to price; as a business laptop, the X1 Carbon demands a steep premium and costs a few hundred dollars more than the XPS 13 overall. If money is not an issue, then deciding between these two becomes difficult.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

XPS-13

Value (10)

6

8

Designer (10)

9

9

Ports (10)

8

5

Display (15)

13

14

Keyboard/Touchpad (15)

14

12

Performance (20)

17

19< /p>

Battery life (20)

17

19

Total

84

86

The XPS 13 offers better performance and longer battery life, but buying the Dell means you'll give up the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's world-class keyboard and generous port selection. I want to say it again: you can't go wrong with either notebook. They both have a striking ultraportable design and excellent display options, among a wide range of features they both offer.

If I had to choose between them, I'd buy the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, despite what the above numbers say. I could use the extra screen real estate and the laptop feels considerably lighter than the XPS 13, although the difference in weight between these isn't huge. I also value USB Type-A ports more than most people. That said, the XPS 13 might be a better choice if you need a compact machine with extended endurance, or if the high price of the ThinkPad puts you off.